Device for treating strand-like material

ABSTRACT

A method and device for uniformly treating strand-like material, such as yarn, by conveying the yarn through treatment regions on a conveyer which rotates about its longitudinal axis while conveying the yarn in the longitudinal direction. The conveyer has a longitudinally extending shaft with a plurality of thin conveying belts disposed circumferentially thereabout to convey in the longitudinal direction. The belts have diagonal yarn thread engaging grooves through which the thread is passed to spiral about the longitudinally extending shaft. Motor and gearing mechanisms are provided to drive the belts for conveying the yarn in the longitudinal direction while rotating the plurality of conveying belts as a unit about the longitudinal axis.

United States Patent Hirschburger [45] Aug. 15, 1972 [54] DEVICE FOR TREATING STRAND- 2,336,0l9 12/1943 Kline et a1 ..28/62 X LIKE MATERIAL I 2,639,485 5/1953 Ambler ..28/62 [72] Inventor: Kurt Hirschburger, Reutlingen 3,217,482 11/1965 Baer ..57/6 Germany Primary Examiner-Walter A. Scheel [73] Assignee: Eugen Husc' hburger KG, Reutlin- Assistant Examiner-Philip R. Coe

gen, Germany Attorney-Craig, Antonelli & Hill [22] Filed: Nov. 13, 1970 l 57] ABSTRACT [21] Appl' 89422 A method and device for uniformly treating strandlike' material, such as yarn, by conveying the yarn [30] Foreign Application Priority Data through treatment regions on a conveyer which Nov 14 1969 German P 19 57 219 1 rotates about its longitudinal axis while conveying the y yarn in the longitudinal direction. The conveyer has a longitudinally extending shaft with a plurality of thin [52] US. Cl ..68/532;22;6%;%;6132, conveying belts disposed circumferential), thereabout [51] Int Cl D06c H to convey in the longitudinal direction. The belts have 58] Fieid E 205 diagonal yarn thread engaging grooves through which 28/61 12 13 3 5 the thread is passed to spiral about the longitudinally i extending shaft. Motor and gearing mechanisms are provided to drive the belts for conveying the yarn in the longitudinal direction while rotating the plurality [56] References Clted of conveying belts as a unit about the longitudinal UNITED STATES PATENTS axis- 2,388,591 1 1/ 1945 Andreas ..242/47.l3 12 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures Patented Aug. 15, 1972 3 Sheets-Sheet l /NVENTOR KuRT \-\\R$Q H BUJRGER BY Qaalg AW, swam mug ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 15, 1972 3,683,650

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

INVENTOR B) QM, mi A/ZHLQL ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 15, 1972 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 /N VENTOR BY an Qm QQQ- MQMLQL Mums DEVICE FOR TREATING STRAND-LIKE MATERIAL This invention relates to a device for treating strandlike material, in particular for steaming and shrinking yarns in which the material is laid in loops, at right angles to the transport direction and forming a type of spiral coil, the loops are transported through a treatment zone continuously in the direction of the spiral axis and the material is removed from the end of the coil projecting from the treatment zone for winding.

In the practical performance of this device, the loops of the coil must be supported by a belt conveyor or other transport device. A portion of the length therefore rests upon such a transport device so that portions of these loops are more or less shielded from the tratment medium and the material cannot be treated with the desired uniformity throughout its entire length.

It is the object of the present invention to avoid this disadvantage of the known device and to improve this device in such a way that all portions of the strand-like material contact the treatment medium uniformly.

In accordance. with this invention, this problem is solved by rotating the coil along its longitudinal axis. This ensures that all portions of the loop are placed in the same position one after another and are therefore reached by the treatment medium in the same manner. Therefore, the invention ensures an absolutely uniform treatment of the strand-like material, in particular a yarn.

The object of the present invention is a device being comprised of a winding head with a material guide led on a circular path, a belt conveyor leading through at least one treatment zone, arranged concentrically to the winding head and a take-up and winding device. According to this invention, the belt conveyor of this device is provided with a drive which rotates said belt conveyor around its longitudinal axis. The loops forming a type of spiral coil, which surround the belt conveyor, are rotated around the longitudinal axis of the coil together with the belt conveyor, as provided for by the device according to the invention.

In the device according to the invention, the drive is practically located in the winding head, although it could, for example, also be arranged at the other end of the belt conveyor on which the strand-like material is taken off the belt conveyor. In a further embodiment of the present invention the winding head contains a hollow body swivel-mounted in a frame and supporting the material carrier, in which one end of the belt conveyor is concentrically mounted, and in which hollow body at least one pair of planetary gears is rotatably mounted with the axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the hollow body, of which both gears engage, one with a gear rim located onthe frame and the other in a gear rim located on the belt conveyor. When the hollow body rotates, the pair of planetary gears mashes with both the gear rim located on the frame and that located on the belt conveyor and, in accordance with the existing gear ratios, transmits a driving torque from the gear rim located on the frame to the gear rim on the belt conveyor, so that the belt conveyor is imparted with the desired sense of rotation. It is thus possible to keep the gear rim located on the frame stationary to connect it rigidly with the frame for example, if the gear ratio between this gear rim and the associated planetary gear is different than the gear ratio between the other planetary gear and the gear rim located on the belt conveyor. In this case, the speed of revolution of the belt conveyor is in a definite ratio with the speed of revolution of the hollow body. If, however, independent regulation of the speed of rotation of the belt conveyor is desired, the gear rim located on the frame can also be driven. In this case, the speed of revolution of the belt conveyor resulting from the gear ratio is subordinated to the speed of rotation of the gear rim located on the frame. In this case, the gear ratios between the planetary gears and the gear rims located on the frame and/or on the belt conveyor can be either equal or different. With various gear ratios, the gear rim located on the frame can be kept stationaryif required if this gear rim is provided with a drive when the desired speed of rotation of the belt conveyor requires that the gear rim on the frame be held.

The hollow body of the device according to the invention can be provided with at least one second pair of planetary gears, said gears being attached to a shaft, extending parallel to the axis of the hollow body and rotatably mounted in the hollow body and from which one gear is in a drive connection with a drive gear attached to the frame and the other gear with an idler gear rotatably mounted on the belt conveyor concentrically to the axis of rotation of the winding head and which is a drive connected with drive rollers of the belt conveyor via a transmission. When the drive rollers of the belt conveyor are driven in such a manner and when the drive gear is located on the frame rigidly arranged and the gear ratios are unchangeable, the speed of travel of the belt conveyor is a factor of the speeds at which the hollow body rotates and at which the belt conveyor rotates along its longitudinal axis. If independent regulation of the belt velocity. is also desired in this case and infinite variation of the gear ratio, as suggested in a different place, is not provided, in a further embodiment of the invention it is possible to connect the drive gear located on the frame to an external drive so that the speed of travel of the belt conveyor can be regulated from that point.

It is understood that the drives for the gear rim located on the frame as well as the drive gear located on the frame can be taken from the main drive of the device by means of suitable change gears or infinitely variable transmissions. It is also possible to employ separate, variable-speed drive motors instead.

Additional details and embodiments of the invention are contained in the following description in which the invention is described in more detail and explained on the basis of the embodiment example depicted in the drawing. The characteristics contained in the description and the drawing can, in other embodiments of the invention, be employed individually or jointly in any desired number of combination.

In the drawings FIG. 1 shows the schematic side view of a device for performing the method in accordance with the invention,

FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal section through the winding head and the section of the belt conveyor of the device according to FIG. I mounted in the winding head and FIG. 3 shows a cross section through the section of the belt conveyor mounted in the winding head along line IIl--III in FIG. 2.

The device depicted in the drawing for performing the method in accordance with the invention comprises, as can be seen from FIG. 1, a winding head 1, to which is connected a belt conveyor 2, which passes through a treatment zone 3 and on which is located the free end of a take-up device turned away from the winding head 1, to which is connected a winder 5. When this device is operated, the strand-like material, in this case yarn, is taken off a spool 6 and, with the aid of the winding head 1, laid around the belt conveyor 2 in loops 7 in a manner to be described in more detail; said loops are then led by the belt conveyor 2 through the treatment zone 3, which is comprised of a convector zone 8, followed by a steam zone 9 and a drying zone 10. After the yarn has left the treatment zone 3 in the form of loops 7 on the belt conveyor, the yarn 11 is taken off the belt conveyor 2 via a take-off ring 12 and wound on a spool 13 again by means of the winder. The belt conveyor 2 is comprised of four narrow conveyor belts and 16, arranged at the corners of a rectangle and supported by a mast 14; of said conveyor belts, the two top conveyor belts 15 run in a straight line from the winding head 1 to the take-off device 4, while the outer sides of die lower conveyor belts 16 are guided closer to the mast 14 by means of guide rollers 17 prior to entering the treatment zone3, so that the yarn loops 7 hang freely on the upper conveyor belts 15 behind the guide rollers 17 in the treatment zone area 3 and can thus shrink freely in the steam zone 9. i

As can be seen in more detail from FIG. 2, the winding head 1 has a rigid housing 21, in which a hollow shaft 24 is mounted in ball bearings 22 and 23. Keyed on the end of the hollow shaft 24 opposite the belt conveyor 2 and protruding from the housing 21 is a multiple stage belt pulley 25, around which is laid a Vee belt 27 leading to a drive motor 26 (cf. FIG. 1). A yarn guide tube 28 is located in this end of the hollow shaft, open to the outside.

Keyed on the other end of the hollow shaft 24 is a hollow body, having a jacket connected to the housing 21; said jacket is connected to the hub part 31 keyed on the hollow shaft 24 by a lateral wall located approximately at its center. The yarn guide tube 28 leads, in a manner not described in more detail, from the interior of the hollow shaft 24 through the hollow body with the jacket 29 and ends, as depicted in FIG. 3, at the face of the jacket 29. Thus, with the aid of the yarn guide tube 28 protruding from the face of the jacket 29 of the rotating winding head and travelling in a circular path, yarn 32 taken from the spool 6 is laid in the loops 7 indicated in FIG. 3 by the dash-dotted lines.

The hollow shaft 24 extends with a stud 33 from the hub part 31 of the hollow body 29, 30 and supports the head 34 of the belt conveyor 2. As can be seen from FIG. 2, the head 34 is comprised of a sleeve-shaped section 35 which is rotatably mounted on the stud 33 of the hollow shaft by means of a roller bearing 36 on the end extending into the jacket 29 of the hollow body and reaching the hub 31 and by means of a double-row ball bearing 37 on its other end. In addition, approximately at its center the head 34 has a flange 38 which closes the jacket 29 of the hollow body of the winding head 1 on the side opposite the housing 21 and to which bearing blocks 39 are adjacent on the surface facing away from the jacket 29. The sleeve-shaped section 35 of the head 34 is covered on the end protruding over the stud 33 of the hollow shaft 24 by a plate 41 held by means of screw bolts 40. As can be seen from FIG. 3, arranged on the front side of the flange 38 are four such bearing blocks 39, extending approximately tangential to the circumference of the sleeve-shaped part 35 covered by the plate 41 to the outer edge of the flange 38. Mounted in each of these bearing blocks is a shaft 42 extending in the circumference direction of the head 34 and carrying a drive roller 43 for one of the conveyor belts 15 or 16 on the end protruding from the bearing block. The arrangement is designed in such a manner that two opposite rollers are always located in a joint diagonal plane of the head and that the two diagonal planes are at right angles to each other. Thus, in the roller area, the outer edges of conveyor belts 15 and 16 are located on the comers of a square surrounding the inner edges of the conveyor belts with clearance. The upper side of this square, limited by conveyor belts 15, is horizontal.

The other ends of the shaft 42 extend into recesses 44 of the bearing blocks 39 and are provided with worm gears 45. These worm gears gears mesh with worms 46 located on the ends of shafts 47, rotatably mounted in holes 48 parallel to the axis of the head 34. The holes 48 penetrate the flange 38 of the head 34 and the shafts 47 extend into the area surrounded by the jacket 29 of the hollow body. The ends of the shafts 47 extending from the flange 38 have gears 49 which all mesh with the same gear rim 50, which is rotatably mounted on the sleeve-shaped section 35 of the head by means of a roller bearing 51. Rigidly connected to the gear rim 50 is an additional gear rim 52, over which a chain drive 53 leads to a gear 54, which is attached to a shaft 55 mounted parallel to the hollow shaft 24 in the lateral wall 30 of the hollow body. The other end of this shaft 55, located on the other side of the lateral wall 30, is also provided with a gear 56, from which a chain drive 57 leads to another gear rim 58, which is joined with a sprocket wheel 59 to form a component and which is, by means of a roller bearing 60 rotatably mounted on a sleeve 67, which is also rotatably mounted on a sleeve-shaped section 61 of the housing 21 by means of roller bearings 74. The sprocket wheel 59 is located in the area of gap 62 between the housing 21 and the jacket 29 of the hollow body 29, 30 and is surrounded by a chain 63, led out of the winding head 1 through the gap 62 and which surrounds an additional sprocket wheel 64, which is mounted on the drive shaft 65 of a variable-speed motor 66.

In order to displace the belt conveyor around its longitudinal axis in one revolution, an additional shaft 71 with two planetary gears 69 and 70 is mounted in the lateral wall 30 of the hollow body 29, 30, similar to shaft 55, from which the planetary gear 69, designed as a toothed gear, meshes with a gear rim 72 mounted on the sleeve-shaped section 35 of the head 34. The other planetary gear 70 meshes with a gear rim 73, which is attached to one end of the sleeve 67 rotatably mounted on the sleeve-shaped section 61 of the housing 21 by means of the roller bearing 74. Located on the other end of the sleeve 67, extending into the housing 21, is another gear rim 78, meshing with another gear 75, which is attached to the end of the drive shaft 76 of a variable-speed motor 77 attached in the housing 21. If the planetary gears 69 and 70 and the corresponding by means of the variable-speed motor 76. It is therefore possible to provide the head 34, and with it the belt conveyor, with any desired speed of rotation around its longitudinal axis independently of the speed of the hollow body 29, 30. It is also possible to keep the belt conveyor from rotating by stopping the variable-speed motor 77. It is also possible to provide the planetary gears 69 and 70 and correspondingly the gear rims 72 and 73 with different numbers of teeth, so that the gear rim 72 on the head 34 is driven with a speed dependent upon the speed of rotation of the hollow body 29, 30 with standing gear rim 73. This speed can then be corrected again by means of the variable-speed motor 77 by providing the driven gear rim 73 with a specific speed of rotation.

It is self-evident that the invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments, but that the method in accordance with the invention can also be embodied in other devices and thatthe device in accordance with the invention can also be subjected to numerous modifications of the depicted embodiment example.

Iclaim:

1. A device for treating strand-shaped material such as yarn and the like; said device comprising: a treat ment zone containing means for treating the material, a conveyor means for transporting the material through said treatment zone in the direction of a longitudinally extending axis of said conveyor means, and rotating means for rotating said conveyor means about its longitudinally extending axis during the transportation of the material, said conveying means including conveyor belt means leading through at least a portion of said treatment zone and a winding means for winding said material about said longitudinally extending axis on said conveyor belt means, said winding means including a winding head and a material guide for guiding the material from a supply source to said winding head, a first end of said belt conveyor means being mounted concentrically in said winding head.

2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotating means is located in the winding head.

3. A device according to claim 2, characterized in that the winding head is provided with a hollow body for supporting the material guide, said hollow body being rotatably mounted in a frame, the first end of the belt conveyor means being concentrically mounted with respect to said hollow body in said frame, at least one first pair of planetary gears with an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the hollow body being provided, said first pair of gears being rotatably mountedin the hollow body, one of the two gears in said first pair of gears meshing with a gear rim located on the frame and the other gear meshing with a gear rim located on the belt conveyor means.

4. A device according to claim 3, characterized in that the gear rim located on the frame is kept from rotating and in that the gear ratio between this gear rim and the corresponding planetary gear differs from the gear ratio between the other planetary gear and the that the gear rim located on the frame is provided with a drive means therefor.

6. A device according to claim 5, characterized in that at least one second pair of planetary gears is pro vided in the hollow body, the gears of said second pair of gears being attached to a rotatably mounted shaft extending parallel to the axis of the hollow body, one gear of said second pair of gears being driven by drive gear located on the frame, the other gear of said second pair of gears being drivingly connected to an idler gear, said idler gear being rotatably mounted on the belt conveyor means concentrically to the axis of rotation of the winding head, said idler gear also being drivingly connected with a drive roller of the belt conveyor means by means of a transmission.

7. A device according to claim 6, characterized in that the drive gear located on the frame is connected with an external driving means.

8. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one pair of planetary gears is provided in a hollow body within said winding head, said pair of gears being attached to a rotatably mounted shaft extending parallel to the axis of the hollow body, one gear of said pair of gears being driven by a drive gear located on a frame which holds the hollow body, the other gear of said pair being drivingly connected to an idler gear, said idler gear being rotatably mounted on the belt conveyor means concentrically to the axis of rotation of the winding head, said idler gear also being in driving connection with a drive roller of the belt conveyor means by means of a transmission.

9. A device according to claim 8, characterized in that the drive gear located-in the frame is connected with an external drive means.

10 A device according to claim 1, characterized in that a take-ofi means for removing the material from the conveyor belt means is provided at a second end of said conveyor belt means.

11. A device according to claim 10, characterized in that said take-off means include a take-off ring arranged concentrically with respect to the longitudinally extending axis of the conveyor means.

12. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that said treatment zone includes means for steaming and drying said material. 

1. A device for treating strand-shaped material such as yarn and the like; said device comprising: a treatment zone containing means for treating the material, a conveyor means for transporting the material through said treatment zone in the direction of a longitudinally extending axis of said conveyor means, and rotating means for rotating said conveyor means about its longitudinally extending axis during the transportation of the material, said conveying means including conveyor belt means leading through at least a portion of said treatment zone and a winding means for winding said material about said longitudinally extending axis on said conveyor belt means, said winding means including a winding head and a material guide for guiding the material from a supply source to said winding head, a first end of said belt conveyor means being mounted concentrically in said winding head.
 2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotating means is located in the winding head.
 3. A device according to claim 2, characterized in that the winding head is provided with a hollow body for supporting the material guide, said hollow body being rotatably mounted in a frame, the first end of the belt conveyor means being concentrically mounted with respect to said hollow body in said frame, at least one first pair of planetary gears with an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the hollow body being provided, said first pair of gears being rotatably mounted in the hollow body, one of the two gears in said first pair of gears meshing with a gear rim located on the frame and the other gear meshing with a gear rim located on the belt conveyor means.
 4. A device according to claim 3, characterized in that the gear rim located on the frame is kept from rotating and in that the gear ratio between this gear rim and the corresponding planetary gear differs from the gear ratio between the other planetary gear and the gear rim located on the belt conveyor means.
 5. A device according to claim 3, characterized in that the gear rim located on the frame is provided with a drive means therefor.
 6. A device according to claim 5, characterized in that at least one second pair of planetary gears is provided in the hollow body, the gears of said second pair of gears being attached to a rotatably mounted shaft extending parallel to the axis of the hollow body, one gear of said second pair of gears being driven by drive gear located on the frame, the other gear of said second pair of gears being drivingly connected to an idler gear, said idler gear being rotatably mounted on the belt conveyor means concentrically to the axis of rotation of the winding head, said idler gear also being drivingly connected with a drive roller of the belt conveyor means by means of a transmission.
 7. A device according to claim 6, characterized in that the drive gear located on the frame is connected with an external driving means.
 8. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one pair of planetary gears is provided in a hollow body within said winding head, said pair of gears being attached to a rotatably mounted shaft extending parallel to the axis of the hollow body, one gear of said pair of gears being driven by a drive gear located on a frame which holds the hollow body, the other gear of said pair being drivingly connected to an idler gear, said idler gear being rotatably mounted on the belt conveyor means concentrically to the axis of rOtation of the winding head, said idler gear also being in driving connection with a drive roller of the belt conveyor means by means of a transmission.
 9. A device according to claim 8, characterized in that the drive gear located in the frame is connected with an external drive means. 10 A device according to claim 1, characterized in that a take-off means for removing the material from the conveyor belt means is provided at a second end of said conveyor belt means.
 11. A device according to claim 10, characterized in that said take-off means include a take-off ring arranged concentrically with respect to the longitudinally extending axis of the conveyor means.
 12. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that said treatment zone includes means for steaming and drying said material. 